Before now poetry has taken notice
Of wars, and what are wars but politics
Transformed from chronic to acute and bloody?
from "Build Soil"
Robert Frost

Monday, October 01, 2007

In the Meantime...

So a fair bit happened while I was gone:

Bill Roggio reported from Iraq on the spread of tribal movements similar to the Anbar Awakening. He touches on the story from Baghdad province- similar things are happening in Salad al Din and Diyala provinces, to the northwest and northeast. In Diyala, the tribal council includes 80% of the major tribes, and involves Sunni, Shia and Kurds.

I wrote shortly before I left Kuwait about the murder of Sheik Sattar, the leader and primary founder of the tribal movement in al-Anbar province. His brother has stepped up into the role, while US Special Forces captured his murderer.

Violence was widely expected to rise during the holy month of Ramadan, both because of past trends towards violence and because of al-Qaeda / AQI affiliate warnings of a "Ramadan Offensive". In fact, Reuters reports that violence over the first three weeks of Ramadan is around 40% lower then it was last year. As a cautionary note, the last week is considered especially holy for martyrs, and we may therefore see a spike in violence over the next few days.
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous1/10/07 06:04

    I wonder what changes the next couple of years will bring in Iraq(Afghanistan too). Violence in Pakistan seems to be on the increase.Already a strong base for AQ, will Pakistan be the next front ? Will AQ chatter increase with our own upcoming elections?

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  2. Tibbsy1/10/07 17:21

    I screamed at my radio on the car ride home form work the other day. The news was trying to tell me that there was an increase in violence as a response to the generally positive testimony of General Petraeus before congress.

    Of course, there was no mention of Ramadan, and the violence typical of the month.

    I was continuing long after the story had ended.

    I should probably stop listening to the radio.

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  3. Anonymous3/10/07 20:38

    Take care. Amazing work you all are doing. God bless you. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rita Loca3/10/07 20:49

    Again, Thanks for both your service and for blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Terry_Jim3/10/07 23:21

    Welcome home,
    Thank You
    and the 321st
    for your service.
    God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brian H8/10/07 15:55

    As a poetic type soljer, you'll probably appreciate the following kick-off for a topical song that has been inspiring and inflicting me (NOT!):

    "Ram-Ram-Ramadan,
    Ram-Ram-Ram it down;
    Ram-oh-Ram it down,
    AlQaeda's Ramadan,
    ..."

    To the tune of a song about Iran, or Barbra-Ann, or SLT.

    ;)

    ReplyDelete

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